The Story of Joan Trimble
by BallOfSunshine
Summary: is there more than meets the eye?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Joaney!" called plum short Mrs. Trimble from the bottom of the staircase. "Time to get up!"

Joan Mary Trimble rolled over in her bed and groaned. She heard her mother footsteps come down the hall and a soft creak as her bedroom door was opened.

"Come now, a seventeen-year-old girl like yourself should be able to get up without her mothers help." Then seeing that Joan was awake said, "Hurry up and get dressed dear. Breakfast will be on the table in about half and hour. With that she left the room.

Joan grinned again as she pulled off her warm quilt to the chill of the October air. She shivered as she grabbed her bathrobe and walked over toward the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later she was running down the stairs in her school uniform with her shining auburn hair bouncing cheerfully behind her when

SMACK!

She ran straight into her best friend Joseph Dover. He was a tall and good-looking 16-year-old figure with a playful and boyish face. He got up quickly to help her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, smiling, as he reached out a hand to help her up.

"I'm okay." She answered blushing red. "What about you? Did I hurt you much when I pushed you down?"

"Not much." He replied jokingly. "I thought you would be done by now."

"Oh I just have to eat breakfast." Joan said, straightening her blue and white plaid skirt while she said this.

"I'll wait for you on the porch for you Joan." Joseph said. He picked up his bag and walked out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Was I too long?" Joan asked as she shut the screen door behind her.

" No. It was perfect timing." He replied he looked at her and grinned. "Come and sit. We still have plenty of time before we should go." He patted the space next to him on the wooden porch swing.

"Alright." She answered smiling back at him as she sat down. They sat there for several minutes before Joseph cleared his throat. Joan looked at him. He coughed again. He sounded very nervous and embarrassed.

"Uh nice day huh Joan?" He said finally though in a very different tone that he usually used.

"Yes it is Joseph." She replied, not noticing the awkward tone he had spoken to her in. She looked around. It was a beautiful day. The bright green grass was sparkling with dew and the morning glories were just beginning to open. They both sat in silence for a few moments. Joan was admiring the lovely day but Joseph was quiet for a very different reason. Suddenly the door opened.

" Joan. It's eight forty-five." Her father said poking his head out the door. Joseph jumped up, grabbed her hand, and began to run in the direction of their school.

"Thanks dad!" She yelled back at him. He waved and shut the door. Joan and her father had a very deep relationship. Joan always knew she could go up to him anytime unless he was working. She could even talk to him about boy trouble if she wanted to without him getting upset or laughing at her. Although she had not yet had boy trouble yet she did not know how soon it would begin.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I'll see you after school Joan! Remember, I'm walking you home again!" Called Joseph as he walked over to his friend all beckoning to him to come with them.

"Don't worry Joseph. I never forget!" Joan called back jokingly for Joseph knew she was quite a forgetful person. She walked over to her two friends Alison and Alexandra, also known as Alex, the twins.

"So Joan what's new?" Asked Alison is a would-be-calm voice.

"Nothing much. What's wrong with you?" Joan replied noticing Allison's strained tone.

"Nothing except the fact that you forgot our meeting at the Daily Grind AGAIN." Alison said putting extra strain on the last word of this sentence.

"Oh my gosh Alison! I'm so sorry gyes! Joseph and I " but there was when Alison cut her off.

"Yes Joseph. Precious Joseph. Why don't you forget Joseph for once and pay attention to your friends for once huh?"

"But Joseph is my friend too." Said Joan, very hurt by her friends tone of voice. But Alison just sighed and walked over to her locker.

"Come on Alex!" Called Alison.

"I'm not just going to desert Joan like that. You're just too stubborn Alison. You go ahead." Replied Alex sternly. Alison just huffed and walked to her classroom. "Don't worry Joan. She's just angry because she had to spend the whole morning cleaning the bathroom as a punishment. I'll always be your friend even if you do miss some stupid Daily Grind meeting." She said to Joan trying to cheer her up but it didn't work.

"No Alex. Alison' right. I shouldn't have broken our engagement after all the planning we did to spend the day together. I'll make it up to you both. We're all going to go out for ice cream tomorrow after lunch at the Cold Stone okay?"

Alex squealed, "Oh we haven't been there together for ages! I can't wait to tell Alison! Thank you Joan!" And she ran off to her classroom. Joan sighed and closed her locker. She started walking to her classroom, which was on the other side of the school with her arms full of books when she turned a corner. The next thing she knew she was on the floor with her armful of books and papers scattered all over the floor.

"Oh I'm so sorry. How clumsy of me." Said the boy who had run into her as he picked up her papers.

"It's ok. I should have been watching where I was going." Said Joan, getting up and helping him.

"Here you go " said the strange boy but he trailed off as he looked at Joan. He smiled. "Hi. I'm Derrick Brock. I really am sorry about that." He said in a totally new tone of voice. Joan raised her eyebrows. She bent over to pick up more papers. She stood up again.

"I'm Joan Trimble." She said and she smiled at him.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" He asked going red for the first time.

"No." Answered Joan.

"Can I walk you home from school this afternoon?"

"Well alright." Said Joan as the bell rang. She had forgotten Joseph was walking her home that day. She gathered up the rest of her papers and said. "I got to get going. See you later!" and she began to run toward the room. As she ran she smiled to herself as she thought "My he was cute!" 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Let's go Joan." Said Joseph as soon as the bell rang.

"What's the rush Joseph?" She asked as he pulled her away.

"I want to walk with you." Joseph replied simply.

"Oh no " Joan thought. She has just remembered she had promised to let Derrick walk her home but she had also promised Joseph! "What should I do?" She thought "I know! I'll go with Joseph because he asked first. I'll go tell Derrick right now." And after thinking this she said aloud.

"Joseph? Can you wait a minute? I forgot to do something."

"Ok but hurry!" said Joseph in an impatiant tone. She ran over to Derrick who was waiting for her be the door.

"Hi Derrick." She said.

"Hi! You ready to go now?" He asked grinning.

"I'm sorry but Joseph asked me earlier today and I said I would. I completely forgot all about it. He's my best friend." She said. "How about tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. I hope I will be considered a friend too after this." He said hopefully. He was feeling very jealous of this 'Joseph'. He'll just have to talk to him.

"Of course you are!" She said happily. "See you tomorrow!!"

Now Joseph had been watching her smile at something that Derrick had said and felt hot jealously rise up inside him. This boy was not going to ruin his chances. He would make sure of that.

"Who was that?" he asked as she came back over to him.

"Oh that was Derrick Brock. He's really nice isn't he? " Joan answered smiling.

"Uh ya." Joseph was feeling very uncomfortable talking about this sort of stuff especially since he thought Derrick was the exact opposite of what he had just said. "Say Joan. Do you want to go to the Cold Stone with me on Saturday? I know it's your favorite."

"I would love to except that I am going there with a couple of my friends and I don't know if it would be a good idea if you " she began but Joseph cut her off.

"Then it's settled. I'll just "happen" to be there when you and your friends go! See you then Joan." Said Joseph as they reached Joan's front porch.

"Um bye " said Joan but Joseph had already left. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hi Joan." Said Alex and Alison at the same time. They had a habit of saying things at the same time. Joan acctioually thought it was kinda creepy.

"Uh Hi gyes!" said Joan uncertainly looking at Alison.

"Joan? I'm really sorry about Thursday. I shouldn't have acted like that. Are we still okay?" said Alison half-smiling.

"Of course we are!" said Joan. Alison looked relieved and soon returned to her normal self again.

"So who was that gye walking you home yesterday? I noticed that Joseph walked home by himself for the first time since you went to Ohio last year." Asked Alex looking at her excited.

"Oh that was Derrick. We bumped into each other on Thursday and he asked me to walk with him." Said Joan almost as excited as the twins were.

"Derrick? Derrick Brock? Isn't he the tall handsome one??" asked Alison gasping.

"Ya he is. He crashed into me on the way to class on Thursday and asked if he could walk me home." she answered. "What's the big deal?"

"Joan." Said Alison as though explaining two plus two was four to a three-year-old. " Derrick Brock is really cute and he likes you! Don't you like him?"

"Um I don't know. I felt hot and embarrassed when he talked to me but that's probably because we met by running into each other. Am I right?" She asked uncertainly.

"Joan " began Alison but just then Joseph walked in the ice cream parlor. "What's he doing here?" She asked coldly. Then she turned to Joan with an angry look. "Did you invite him?"

"No! I didn't! Alison!" She said but Alison got up, grabbed her sister's arm and walked off in the other direction. Alex gave Joan a "I would if I could" look as her sister dragged her out of the parlor. Joan stormed over to Joseph.

"Oh hi Joan! Fancy seeing you here!" He said winking.

"Joseph! Didn't I tell you that it would be a bad idea to come here when Allison's here?" She said angrily.

"Boy! Can't a gye come in for some ice cream if he wants to?" He said jokingly. Joan gave him a nasty look and ran out the door.

"Joan!" He called after her but it was no use. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Things cleared up in a few days as they always did. Alison and Joseph apologized and everything went back to normal except that fact that Joseph was still walking home by himself ad Joan with Derrick. Two weeks later, Joseph tried to walk her to school but found Derrick waiting for her outside.

"Listen bud." He said to Derrick. Derrick looked at him and smiled in a way that told Joseph that he knew what he was thinking.

"Oh I know your crazy for her but so am I. In these situations the girl decides." Said Derrick as Joan walked out the door.

"Hi Derrick." She said in a depressed tone. Derrick didn't seem to notice that there was something wrong with Joan and began talking about the best football team and the worst. Joseph had known her for as long as he had lived and knew when something was wrong with her, and there was definitely something wrong now.

"What's the matter Joan?" He asked.

"Nothings the matter with her! Now go away!" Said Derrick.

"No Derrick you go away. You've been very mean to Joseph and he is my best friend. I don't want to walk with you anymore." Said Joan angrily. Derrick shrugged and walked over to Alison who was walking with her sister.

"Now what's the matter Joan?" Joseph asked again happy that Joan had finally begun to see sense.

Joan smiled.

"Nothing now that he's gone. He's so full of himself! I'm not going to be walking with him any time soon."

Joseph looked very happy the whole rest of the way. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Joseph! Joseph!" Big news!" Said Joan over the phone one lovely spring day.

"What?" Said Joseph sleepily. It was 8 in the morning.

"Dad took me to get my license last night! I can drive without another driver in the car if I want to!" She said bouncing up and down by the telephone stand.

"That's great Joan but could you have given me a little more sleep before you told me this?" He said yawning.

"Oh I'm sorry Joseph but I was too excited to wait any longer! Can I drive you somewhere today?" She asked.

"I'm sorry Joan but I promised to spend the whole day with Fiona today." He said.

"Fiona?" Said Joan her voice changing from excited to cold.  
"Ya. She finally came down for a visit. She's been away for ages! By the way. She want's to meet you. Will you come over at around 5 today?" He said.

"Uh sure. I'll be there. Have fun. Bye." And she hung up without even waiting for Joseph to say anything. She flung down the receiver and ran to her bedroom. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Joan dried her eyes and put on her shoes. It was time to go meet Fiona the pig headed snot mouth. Joan had been making up nicknames for this Fiona and decided that she will not be nice to her at all when she meets her. She began walking down the street toward Joseph's house was. In the driveway were Joseph and a girl who must be Fiona.

"Hi. You must be Joan Tremble." She said holding out her hand. She was a very pretty brunette but Joan imagined her to be a perfect image of a pig. She refused to shake her hand.

"It's Trimble." She said coldly. Fiona looked taken aback and looked at Joseph for help.

"Uh Fifi do you want some lemonade?" He asked the first question that pope into her head.

"Thank you Jo." Said Fiona.

"How sweet. Nicknames." Joan thought. Then she burst.

"It's alright Jo. You don't have to offer me any. I was going to leave anyway." She said. She stomped off toward her house thinking, "What does he see in a girl like that?" 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A week later Fiona went back to Chicago and Joseph was his normal self but Joan wasn't and Joseph noticed.

"Joan? Have you noticed that you are acting a little strange lately?" He asked one day.

"Me? Strange? Nonsense." She said.

"Hay Joan? I was wondering if you might want to go to The Caf on your birthday for dinner with me." He asked nervously.

"Me with you? Dinner?" Said Joan forgetting about Fiona for the first time since she had come. "Sure!"

"Great!" He said. "So what's going on with your father? He hasn't been out much has he?"

"No. He has a bad cold. We have to watch out for him thought because his colds usually cam become a fatal case of pneumonia." She said a little worried.

"I'll say a prayer for him Joan." Joseph said.

"Thank you Joseph." Joan said smiling. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I've come with your tea Dad." Said Joan one day going into her father's room. Her father had been getting better after a long struggle with pneumonia. "Now mom said that you have to drink up all of this nice Daddy!" The teacup smashed to the floor as Joan rushed to the bed where her father lay breathing heavily wit his eyelids half closed.

"Joan " he said in a barely audible whisper.

"It's alright Daddy. I'll get Doctor Jordan. Just hang in their Dad." She said as she began to walk to the door.

"No Joan." Her father said as firmly as he was able. "It's all over. I am going to die and I don't want to do alone waiting for a doctor who won't be able to do anything." He closed his eyes, exhausted by this speech.

"Daddy, don't say that. You'll you'll be fine. Don't leave me Daddy." Said Joan, struggling to keep her voice straight. She grabbed his hand and stared into his pale face.

"Joan " he gasped. "I want I want,"

"What Dad?" She whispered barely keeping back her tears.

"I want you you to have you birthday present early." He said. "It's It's in the closet. The keys hang hanging there by by my ties." He said trying and failing to point them out.

"A car? Oh oh thank you daddy!" She said trying to sound happy although tears were pouring down her face at an alarming rate. Mr. Tremble gave Joan a small smile.

"Your welcome dear. Come come here." Joan walked over to him. He struggled to sit up and succeeded. Joan hugged him, the tears coming faster as she realized that this would be the last time he would hold her comfort her.

"I love you dear." He said with his last breath. He fell back on the pillows.

"DADDY!" Joan screamed. "No no. Oh Daddy." She sobbed over his body. "I love you too Dad." She whispered. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Isaac Trimbles body lay in an open casket surrounded by morning family members and close friends. Joan was not among them though. She was in the back of the room crying silently. The funeral was already finished and Joan was waiting for her chance to say goodbye to her father by herself. Suddenly did not feel like herself.

"Daddy! No!" She screamed out loud. Everyone looked at her. She ran over to the coffin and began shaking her father's body violently. "Come back Daddy! Come back." She screamed like a child. Mrs. Tremble tried to wrestle her daughter from the body but couldn't.

"Joseph! Come here and help me! You know her well." She yelled over her daughter's continuous screams of "Daddy come back!" Joseph came over and began talking to her soothingly.

"It's okay Joan. Just come quietly. That's right. Come on." Joan allowed Joseph to half carry half drag her away from the coffin and outside into the fresh air. "Joan. Everything going to be alright." He said soothingly. Joan just stared. "Joan? Joan?" He asked more urgently. She continued to stare as though looking at a mildly interesting show. . Joseph lay her down on the grass. She didn't even flinch.

He was just about to get her mother when suddenly she snapped out of it. Tears began to fill her eyes as she sat up. Joseph looked at her. He never really knew what to do when girls cried but he tried all the same.

"Don't cry Joan. You know he wouldn't like to see you cry for him." He said, putting an arm around her.

"I can't believe he's gone! I-I-I j-j-just can't face it!" And she broke down entirely. She began sobbing on his jacket. Joseph patted her head.

"It's alright." He said.

"It's not alright Joseph! Everything's going wrong at the same moment. Dad died two days before my 19th birthday. You like F nevermind but you know. I'll never be the same again!" She said.

"Joan! Don't say that! You know that he would not like to see you despairing! Pull yourself together!" Said Joseph startled by Joan's new and strange behavior. Joan never acted like this.

"Come on Joan. You can say you goodbye now if you've calmed down." Said Mrs. Trimble coming out. "Everyone else has left." Joan followed her into the church. She went up to the coffin and looked at her father's face.

"Goodbye Dad." She said with tears streaming down her face at the thought that he would never look at her with pride or smile at her again. This thought broke her heart. "I love you Daddy." 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Joan pulled into Alex's driveway in her mustang. She sighed. This was the first time she had driven it even thought her dad had given it to her six months ago. The thought still made her cry. Her feelings about her father's death still had not changed since her father's death. She still cried every night.

"Hi Joan!" Said Alex happily.

"Can we hurry up? I don't want to drive this thing. It hurts." Joan said.

Alex took one look at Joan and knew it would be best to just keep quiet. She had thought Joan would have stopped grieving this bad three months ago. They ride in silence the whole way. Joan was not really paying attention to where she was going and she was going pretty fast. Alex was clinging to the seat out of fear.

"Joan!" She suddenly screamed. "It's a red light!"

Joan looked up. Alex was right. She slammed on the breaks but not soon enough. As she looked to the side of her she saw a car speeding toward her on the drivers side. Alex screamed and her last thought was that she might see her dad after all. Then everything went black. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Joan woke up in a very clean room. The first thing she noticed was that she did not feel sad about her father's death. The crash seemed to have opened her eyes to what Joseph had said six months ago at her father's funeral: "He would not want to see you cry like this for him." Everything became clear to her. She tried to get out of the bed but found she couldn't. Her head felt heavy and her legs stiff but other than that she was fine. She moved her head to look beside her and saw Joseph. He was sitting in a chair, his fingers moving slowly over the beads of a rosary. His eyes were closed and heavy from lack of sleep and his lips were moving in silent fervent prayer.

"Joseph." She said. She was surprised to hear how faint her voice was. Joseph jumped and looked at her. His eyes filled with tears of joy. Hi fell onto his knees by the bedside and began sobbing.

"You you're alright!" He choked, clutching the bed sheets. Joan remembered the crack and Alex.

"Where's Alex! It's all my fault. Is she okay?" Joan asked hysterically trying to get up. Joseph pushed her back down and said.

"She's fine. She broke her arm and has already left the hospital. You got the worst of the crash though. Both of your legs are broken and you had a bad concussion. They said that if you weren't awake in a few days you would probably die."

"How long have I been here?" She asked.

"About three days." You were so close to dying and Joan! I was so scare that you might!"

"Wait a minute." She said sitting up. "Why are you so worried about me? What about your precious Fiona?" She asked as coldly as her present condition would allow her to.

"Fiona? What about her?" Joseph asked puzzled. He looked at her and then understood. "You didn't think that me and her Joan! Fiona's my cousin!" He said incredulously.

"She is?" Asked Joan happily and then started crying. "Oh Joseph!"

"You do care for me don't you Joan." Asked Joseph in a low voice.

"Yes Joseph! I never realized it until Fiona came but yes!" She said, happy tears still pouring down her face. Joseph stood up and sat by her on the bed. He hugged Joan and said.

"Joan. I've cared for you for as long as I can remember." He held her and allowed her to cry on his T-shirt. "Everything will be okay now Joan." He said soothingly. Joan looked at Joseph with a shining face.

"I love you Joan." He whispered and he kissed her. Joan smiled and knew everything would be fine now with Joseph so near.

"I love you too Joseph."

**I hope you all liked it! please comment/rate for me. i know its not all that great, but maybe some of you can give me advice on how to make it a bit better. thanks! :)**


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